FORT MYERS, Fl. -- David Ortiz loves him some Dustin Pedroia. There are certain subjects that can make Big Papi light up with that 1,000-watt smile and let out a loud, contagious belly laugh, and there are other things that can push Ortiz away from his typical Big Papi personality.

Steroids, missing Manny Ramirez, getting another 30 home run hitter into the Sox lineup have all been quick ways to get Ortiz to pull the rip chord on a sit down, but he chugged along for 10 minutes talking the reigning AL MVP prior to leaving Sox spring training for his Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic entry.

Here’s what Papi had to say about Lil’ Pedey:

What’s it like with Pedroia every day?
DO: We just laugh and have fun around here. He’s the best. It’s whoever says the funniest thing at the time. He beat me all the time because he comes up with some lines and I say ‘No he didn’t.’ He’s meant a lot to this ballclub and we want to keep it that way.

Do you think Pedroia and Youkilis can get even better than they were last year?
DO: Let me tell you, those guys work their ass off. I’m telling you. Those guys don’t take any time off, and that’s what it takes to be one of the top players in the game. And I tell you that because that’s what it took me to another level in my career.

You got to be hungry and ready to fight every day. Those kids…they don’t play no games. Those guys come in and they bust their butts. I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep getting better, better and better. They’re still young and hungry. They work hard and they want to win.

Do you recognize that hunger?
DO: Oh yeah. Dude, just go to the back fields (during spring training). I saw him back there in the afternoons turning double plays, and I was like ‘Dude, seriously.’ It’s not even noon yet. Pedroia was sending me text messages in December telling me he was ready to rock somebody. I was like ‘dude, seriously…it’s December…December…December….January.’ He come in and he say ‘Hey Big Punk…Big Punk. I’m already ready to put on the laser show. I was like ‘laser show…are you serious?’

People used to make fun of his batting stroke too?
DO: You can’t get any better than him, bro. I tell people in my country about him all the time. In my country it’s all about baseball back there, and to people it’s all about hustling, bringing their best to the field everyday and they enjoy watching people hustling out there. People are always asking me about Pedroia.

More than anybody else?
DO: More than everybody else because Pedroia is little. People don’t realize sometimes how little he is. How little he is and the good hitter and the show on the field is incredible. And all I can tell people is you’ve got to see it to believe it. The badder somebody wants to get a hit, the badder he wants to catch the ball. That’s how bad he is…you can’t get no better than that. I enjoy watching the guy playing out there.

I’m hitting behind him, and he impressed me so much that I don’t have any time. And I’m like ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to go hit.’ I look like a 5-year-old watching a super hero. It’s impressive.

He did things last year hitting that sometimes I was hitting and thinking about what he just did. That’s how impressive he is. You keep that with you, and you enjoy it for real.

Did you ever think that was possible the first time you saw him hit?
DO: Let me tell you, the first time I saw him hit he hit a thunder to the middle. You see some guys and you’re like ‘Pffff….whatever.’ But the first time I saw him hit, he hit a line shot – I think it was over Randy Johnson or something like that – and I was like ‘wow…what’s going on.’

But he got that enthusiasm and that is contagious. I’m telling you right now. When you have that and you can put it together. When I found out that he won that MVP last year, I felt like it was me that won it. Because it’s Pedey. He did it, he did it all.

El Caballito?
DO: El Caballito…el Caballito, bro.

Did you have anything to do with that?
DO: Yeah. Yeah (laughing). He loved it too. You know what I tell him that day. He was talking and saying if I wasn’t playing baseball then I don’t know what I’d be doing right now. I said that I know what you’d be doing. I told Pedroia he’d be teaching kids how to ride little ponies.